


Horror Movies

by JeanjacketCarf



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: F/M, Friendship, Gen, Guilt, Hurt/Comfort, Late Night Conversations, Season/Series 04
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-27
Updated: 2018-03-27
Packaged: 2019-04-13 19:32:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,084
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14119356
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JeanjacketCarf/pseuds/JeanjacketCarf
Summary: Caitlin finds herself in Cisco's apartment late one night. They talk and watch a horror movie.Set some time in early season 4





	Horror Movies

Cisco was talking to the tv again. He liked to yell instructions at the people on screen or make fun of the fake science even with movies he had watched a hundred times.

Caitlin could tell it was a horror movie by how much he disapproved of the character’s life choices. She didn’t like horror movies, she didn’t get why people would purposefully scare themselves. She hated being scared. Cisco had made her watch a Saw movie once and she’d nearly thrown up. She had a suspicion he hadn’t even liked that one either but had wanted to freak her out. It was okay, she’d made him watch a musical marathon after and he’d promised no more horror movies when she was over. He could watch those with Barry if he wanted.

Which was why it struck her as a little rude that Cisco was watching one while she was asleep. She reached up to move the damp thing from her forehead, it was a dishcloth soaked through with blood. She blinked at it in confusion for a moment and then it all came rushing back to her. She shouldn’t have been there and she shouldn’t have been getting blood on Cisco’s bedspread. Her stomach lurched. What the fuck had Frost done now?

Caitlin stumbled out of the bed, finding her feet bare on the cool floor. She used to complain about how cold Cisco kept his apartment, it didn’t bother her anymore. Passing the bathroom, she caught sight of herself in the mirror. Her face was puffy and red, covered over with dinosaur patterned Band-Aids on her chin and the bridge of her nose. She could feel the split in her lip and taste the blood. The towel looked as if she might have been using it to staunch a bloody nose and then just given up and taken a nap. Seemed like something Frost would do.

She put the hand towel in the kitchen sink and padded up behind Cisco on the couch. The room smelled like freshly popped popcorn. He was sitting cross-legged in his pajamas, munching away as some high school ingenue on the screen was murdered with a chainsaw.

“Hey,” he said without turning. She hadn’t realized he’d heard her.

“How’d you know I was up?”

“I can feel it. You’re still cold even when you’re warm. This spot of stillness moving around.”

“Oh.” She didn’t know what else to say. He was getting stronger every day. She wondered why only the Flash had people coming back from the future to kill him like he was some mythic monster of yore. Cisco’s powers were earth-shattering, maybe even literally. She thought of the future Barry had seen and wondered in how many timelines she was the reason Cisco never reached his full potential. How many times just knowing her had hurt him.

“Your healing factor’s really inconsistent, you know that right?” Cisco continued, unaware of her train of thought and following his own. “We have Barry’s down to a science and with you sometimes it’ll work and sometimes it won’t. A guy can’t ever tell if he’s supposed to be worried or not.”

She was torn between “I know” and “I’m sorry” and “I think it only works when Frost comes out. Not the other way around or even when she’s in control.” She settled on “I’m sorry” because it was what she most needed to say. 

Finally, he turned around to look at her.

“What? Did you do it on purpose?” Before his voice had held a cool distance, now it snapped at her. She hadn’t quite recognized the tightness in his shoulders before.

“No. I meant for worrying you and for not remembering what happened and for whatever she said to you. For everything.”

He rested his chin on the back of the couch, now completely ignoring the movie.

“I haven’t heard you say that recently.”

She looked down at her feet.

“I know. I’m sorry for that too. I’m… proud isn't the word.”

“I’m not sure there is a word for feeling guilty but instead of apologizing or making amends or working through things like a normal person, you shut down your emotions and push everyone around you away,” Cisco huffed. “There should be though because it’s really annoying and people are always doing it to me.”

Caitlin tried to swallow the lump in her throat.

“Look, I’ll go.”

“Hey,” Cisco’s hand darted out and caught her wrist. “You don’t have to go.”

“I shouldn’t be here.” She tugged her arm but his grip held firm.

“Caitlin, look at me,” he practically growled. 

Reluctantly, she raised her eyes to meet his. They were so soft and understanding it made her want to cry.

“Does it look like I want you to go?” He curled his fingers down until they interlocked with her own. “This is exactly where you should be.”

She was weak, she knew it. When he said things like that she couldn’t say no even when she knew he was wrong. She looked down at their joined hands.

“What happened?”

Cisco took it for the peace offering it was.

“It seems that Frost decided to bust up a drug deal some of Amunet Black’s goons were doing. You know, without telling any of us. She claims she won, but honestly I’d like to see the other guy.”

Caitlin let out a little laugh without much humor behind it.

“I think it’s a vendetta these days.”

Cisco threw up his free hand in surrender.

“Hey, I didn’t say I had a problem with it. Only that she kinda sucks at fighting.”

Caitlin untangled their hands. 

“Sucks at fighting?” She crossed her arms and glared at him.

“Yeah, you get beat up, like, every time. Every single time. Do you see me getting my beautiful mug smashed in? No, because I know what I’m doing.”

Caitlin rocked back on her heels. She thought about having to reset her shoulder the week before and stitching up a long gouge in her side the week before that. She’d had quite a few concussions too in the span of the last six months. 

“Okay, fine. We get beat up.”

Cisco smiled at her obvious consternation.

“Yeah, cuz you never practice. Or work out.”

Caitlin shrugged. The truth was for a long time she hadn’t wanted to practice using her powers. Hadn’t wanted to spend more time as Frost than she absolutely had to. It seemed now that she didn’t have much choice in the matter. Things had come to a head.

She let out a long breath. “I’ll train if that’s what you want.”

Cisco’s smile grew wider and brighter.

“I’m sure you’ll appreciate it when you’re not dead. Now, are you staying or what?”

She didn’t answer in words but she came around the couch and sat down.

“Seriously?” He looked at her sitting on the other end of the couch from him. He hopped over onto the next cushion and wrapped a warm arm around her shoulders. Reluctantly, she relaxed into him.

He still smelled like oil and grease from the work he’d been doing on the STAR Labs van during the day.

“How can you do it?” Caitlin asked.

“Do what?”

“Forgive me,” her voice cracked a little on the last word.

Cisco pulled her in tighter, tucking her head under his chin.

“How about: did you think I cared for you so little that betraying me would make a difference?”

“Is that a quote from something?”

“Shh. There’s more.” Cisco chuckled a little to himself. “Not that I think you betrayed me, it’s more complicated than that but you know what I mean, right? That’s the sentiment. I don’t have room anymore to care about shit like that.”

“‘Shit like that’? You’re kidding. I kidnapped you, tried to kill you.”

“You did or she did?” He snapped. Caitlin wasn’t sure what to say. She stuttered for a second but Cisco cut her off before she could come up with anything. “Doesn’t matter. I don’t care.” He squeezed her shoulder.

“That’s not how things work,” her voice came out small and hurt. Because he had to be wrong. Because she was afraid she was the only one whose heart boiled over with anger, cold and icy and furious. Cisco had only ever tried to do what was best for her but still some part of her subconscious had decided he deserved to have her anger taken out on him. She didn’t know if she would ever forgive herself for that. “Aren’t you angry?”

“Of course I am. Why do you think I put this movie on?” He gestured to the screen. “Why I got dinosaur Band-Aids out for you? I’m messing with you cuz you piss me off.”

“You’re hugging me.” She pointed out, trying to look at his face from her position.

“Yeah, that’s cuz I love you. At some point, you just have to give up. Which sounds pessimistic and it is but it’s like a happy pessimism. You know what I mean?”

Caitlin shook her head. “No.”

“That’s okay. You can’t see the things I can.” There was a melancholy in his voice that told her not to ask. Still, she wondered. Wondered what other worlds there were, what other lives they led.

Cisco rubbed a hand up and down her arm. She could feel him swallow against the top of her head.

“What would you do if you knew there was some other version or even a whole bunch of versions of you who were happier? What if they were rich and famous and made their parents proud but those other yous they didn’t know the know the people you care about most? Who would you think was the better version?” Cisco seemed to be looking at something far off in the distance.

Caitlin didn’t have to contemplate the question long.

“But you’re not alone? You have other people who love you? Maybe you should be with them instead, maybe they’re better for you.” Caitlin kept her eyes on the tv. She had a pretty good idea what they were talking about.

Cisco huffed and smacked a knuckle against her shoulder.

“Oh, shut up! I’ve had enough of that. It’s a hypothetical. Not everything’s about you.”

“Okay,” Caitlin said dully.

Cisco threw his head back against the back of the couch.

“Can we just watch this stupid movie and go to bed? Then, tomorrow I’m gonna make you run.”

Caitlin snorted. Okay, pity party was done then.

“Run? You’re bluffing.”

“Nuh-uh. I’m gonna make you do suicide sprints and like jumping jacks. Rocky montage type shit.”

“That’s literally torture,” Caitlin let a whine slip into her voice.

“I know. It’s my revenge!” He gave his best villainous laugh.

Caitlin buried her giggles in his chest.

“Okay, we good? No more angsting?” Cisco asked more soberly.

“For now.” She nodded.

“Good enough.” He reached across the couch and grabbed a blanket tossed casually over the back. He drew it over them and she sank down until her head rested in his lap. “Bring it in. You and your ridiculously long arms,” he grumbled as he wrapped his arms around her.

She laughed and they settled down to watch the movie that didn’t seem so scary anymore. She’d seen worse.

She could feel herself slipping off. Frost’s antics had clearly worn their body out and it was late. Safe and warm with Cisco against her she could imagine it was a year ago, it was three years ago, it was five years ago and all of the things that had torn them apart were still just a nightmare waiting on the horizon for another day.

Her eyes closed but she held onto consciousness by a tenuous thread. She didn’t want the moment to end quite yet. Caitlin heard Cisco shift beside her, clicking off the tv. He tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear.

“You know you don’t need an invitation,” he said in a hushed voice. She got the sense she probably wasn’t supposed to hear it. “You don’t need an invitation to come home.”

 

Caitlin woke up alone again, the sound of the shower filling Cisco’s loft. She quietly gathered her things and snuck out leaving a note of thanks behind.

When Cisco walked into the Cortex an hour and a half later, Caitlin was there waiting for him in her gym clothes.

“So are we running or what?”

Cisco smiled.


End file.
